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“Our mother lived with unwavering devotion to her family and a belief in the power and importance of community and service,” said her son, Galen Weston Jr., who is the chairman and former president of Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Known for their connection to the Loblaws grocery store chain, the Westons are one of Canada’s wealthiest families.

Admired for her elegance, generosity and lifelong commitment to public service, Weston began her career as a fashion model to help support her family before rising to senior leadership roles, including deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, and later serving as Ontario’s 26th Lieutenant Governor from 1997 to 2002. Only the second woman to hold the role, she championed causes that improved the lives of women, young people and marginalized communities. 

Her daughter, Alannah Weston Cochrane, said her mother loved a challenge and brought creativity and style to everything she touched. 

“But, it was her vision, coupled with her enormous capacity for hard work, that made her a great female leader,” she said.

In 2003, Weston was appointed to the Order of Canada for outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service.

Robert Prichard, former University of ɫɫ�� president, described Weston as a “remarkable woman who led a highly consequential life.” He called her a “full and equal partner” with her late husband, Galen Weston, in building businesses, philanthropy and community impact. 

Prichard said he first met Weston when she invited him to dinner at her home shortly after his appointment as U of T president — not because they knew each other personally, but out of respect for the role. 

“I walked in and the prime minister was there, along with people I’d never met before in my life. It was pretty heady company,” he said, noting that’s just how she treated people, with respect and kindness.

Being in her presence, Prichard added, was always special. “She was gorgeous, unbelievably well dressed at all times and so charismatic with her beauty and her grace,” he said while recalling a dinner the two had in January. “I could tell every single person in the restaurant looked at me and said, ‘How is that guy so lucky to be having dinner with that beautiful Hillary Weston?’”

Friend and business executive, Nancy Lockhart, who knew Weston for more than 30 years, called her “one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever known — smart, accomplished, beautiful, kind, generous.”

She recalled Weston’s extraordinary success. 

“She left school to support her brothers so they could go on to school,” Lockhart said. “And yet she rose to the highest level of society and business in several countries. That just speaks to her innate brainpower.”

The Hon. Nicole Eaton, a longtime friend and collaborator, remembered Weston as “dynamic, courageous and someone with great taste.” The pair co-authored “In A Canadian Garden” in 1989 and later “At home in Canada” in 1995, projects Eaton said embodied Weston’s fearless spirit.

“Anything she did, she went for it,” Eaton said.

Weston was also a passionate supporter of Canadian writing, particularly nonfiction.

Author Charlie Foran, who first met Weston as the inaugural winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction in 2011, described her as a “true patron of Canadian writing” who worked tirelessly to expand the prize and create the Weston International Award.

The two $75,000 prizes — one for a Canadian author and one for an international writer — were, Foran said, “bold and visionary” in a literary culture that often looked inward. 

“Hilary was all in,” Foran said, adding that she was always engaged and supportive, often inviting authors to her home for private lunches to chat with them about their work and lives. 

Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) CEO and Director Josh Basseches called her “one of the most extraordinary contributors and supporters” to ɫɫ��’s cultural life. He said she chaired the successful Renaissance ROM Campaign in the 2000s, which helped modernize the museum, and played a key role in reopening its historic Queen’s Park entrance.

Lockhart remembered Weston as a hands-on lieutenant governor who thrived on connecting with people across the province. 

“She worked so hard at the job. It’s a very punishing travel and event schedule. She never complained,” Lockhart said. “She loved it. She loved meeting people in every community and talking about what they were achieving.”

Her philanthropic work spanned the arts, education, health care and refugee causes. Through the Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation, she helped commit nearly $150 million to charities in Canada, Ireland and the U.K. 

“She was infinitely generous,” Lockhart said, “She never judged people based on what they had, only based on who they were. She had friends from all walks of life, people who worked with her and for her loved her and stayed with her for decades. That’s a measure of someone who treats people well.”

Known for her refined, elegant style, Weston was also an avid gardener, reader and gracious host. She loved to entertain and brought the same attention to detail to her social gatherings as she did to her public work, Lockhart added.

She was married to Galen for 55 years until his death in 2021. Together, they raised two children, Galen Jr. and Alannah, whom Lockhart described as “hard working, responsible, successful and totally unspoiled — no small feat given their circumstances.”

“Everything she did, she did beautifully,” she said. 

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Edith Dumont, said she was deeply sadden to learn about Weston’s passing, noting she “was a lieutenant governor who sought to highlight the exceptional compassion of Ontarians from all walks of life.”

As the first lieutenant governor to lead the province into the new millennium, Dumont says Weston found ways to make the position more contemporary, more accessible and more relevant to the lives of Ontario citizens.

“Ms. Weston was regularly inspired by the generosity of spirit of everyday Ontarians and sought to foster that shared sense of humanity far and wide,” Dumont said, adding that “her legacy will remain alive in our collective memory.”

With files from The Canadian Press